Generator Question

Plugging into the portable should have worked. It's no diffetent than shore power. Have you verified the portable has output with a meter, light, tool, or so.ething?
If you have an EMS or surge guard you may need to make a bonding plug for the portable.

The power cord lights up so I know the portable has power output. I am pretty sure the RV does have a surge protector. I am wondering if thats what is causing the issue.

Look up "generator Neutral grounding plug" You might need that to fool your surge protector.

Check your breakers and battery disconnect.

As far as the generator, do you have more than 1/4 tank of fuel? Does it have oil, and is it really hot where you are? Generator overheats are common if it's really hot and you aren't moving to get air over and around the genset. Gen sets also have a breaker on them.

You didn't mention what year, make, model of RV and what genset you have. Might help with troubleshooting.

schlep1967 wrote:
Look up "generator Neutral grounding plug" You might need that to fool your surge protector.

Ok I'm going to buy one of those and hopefully that will resolve the issue. Thank you

way2roll wrote:
Check your breakers and battery disconnect.

As far as the generator, do you have more than 1/4 tank of fuel? Does it have oil, and is it really hot where you are? Generator overheats are common if it's really hot and you aren't moving to get air over and around the genset. Gen sets also have a breaker on them.

You didn't mention what year, make, model of RV and what genset you have. Might help with troubleshooting.

It's 2016 Fleetwood PaceArrow 38B with the Onan 8000 QT diesel generator. It's got almost 3,000 hours so it's very possible the sensor went bad. The oil is full and the RV has over 1/2 tank of gas. Temperature wise it's only 60 degrees out and we've run it in 100 degree plus weather for 7-10 days straight with no issues.

Appreciate your response.

Some surge protectors will not play nice with a portable generator. Also be careful how much you have operating... The Converter can draw a thousand watts or more when the batteries are hungry.. the Fridge (RV type) around 350 on Electric (Lock it on Gas for the first hour or so) Make sure the water heater and Air conditioners are OFF.

USually if you have a hard wired surge protector you also have display. It will very likely show "OPEN GROUND" when trying to use your generator.. There is an easy fix for that (Google Bonding Plug) You can buy or build.. but be careful you connect to the wrong terminal when building it's dangerous.

THe bonding plug bonds the neutral and safety ground leads.. I won't mention the color codes for those screws as I do not wish to be wrong.

Make your own bonding plug. Quick, easy, and much cheaper.


Run a wire from common (neutral) to ground. Close up plug and plug into any 110v receptacle on generator.

KD4UPL wrote:
Plugging into the portable should have worked. It's no diffetent than shore power. Have you verified the portable has output with a meter, light, tool, or so.ething?
If you have an EMS or surge guard you may need to make a bonding plug for the portable.

Hi Alain,

Sorry to hear about the issue with your generator. Running the motorhome off a portable generator is possible, but you might need to make some adjustments. Firstly, ensure that the generator you're using has enough wattage to power your motorhome's electrical systems. Additionally, check if there are any compatibility issues between the generator and your motorhome's electrical system. If you're having trouble getting power into the coach when using the Yamaha 2000watt generator, double-check the connections and ensure they are secure, and verify if there's a switch that needs to be turned on for the power to flow. If the problem persists, consult the manuals or seek professional assistance to diagnose the issue with your setup. Best of luck with your motocross race!z

16pacearrow38b wrote:
Can I run the motorhome off a portable generator? I tried to plug it into my Yamaha 2000watt just to run fridge and lights but it doesn't get power into the coach.

Any ideas? I can plus to 15amp shore power at home and it works fine but not on the portable generator.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Alain

Question: Do you have any kind of power protection like a Surge Guard such as a Progressive Industries HW 30 or 50 or the equivlent Southwire/TRC Surge Guard?

If so you need a bonding plug on the yahama.. This is a plug with NEUTRAL and Ground connected. (I did it in my 30 amp plug when I needed one) to make the Surge Guard happy.

WHY: Ground is NOT CONNECTED on the generator. Not needed save for getting power past the surge guard.